Creating Your First Email Campaign

Tier: Growth 🌱 | Business 💼
Time: 10 minutes
Prerequisites: At least one guest with an email address

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Overview

Email campaigns let you stay in touch with past guests, promote special offers, and drive direct bookings. This guide walks you through creating, customizing, and sending your first campaign.

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What is an Email Campaign?

An email campaign is a bulk email sent to your guest database. Common campaign types:

Welcome Emails

• Sent to new guests after their stay
• Thank them for booking
• Introduce your other properties
• Include your referral code

Seasonal Promotions

• Summer specials
• Holiday availability
• Last-minute deals
• Off-season discounts

Special Discounts

• Repeat guest offers
• Birthday/anniversary specials
• Loyalty rewards
• Flash sales

Post-Stay Follow-Up

• Request reviews
• Share photos
• Offer return visit discount
• Check satisfaction

Referral Program

• Explain referral rewards
• Share their unique code
• Promote incentives
• Track conversions

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Campaign Dashboard Overview

When you visit the Campaigns page, you'll see:

Usage Meter

• Email Usage This Month: Shows how many emails sent vs. limit
• Starter Plan: 1,000 emails/month (more than enough for most hosts)
• 2% used example: You've sent 18 out of 1,000 emails

Key Metrics

• Total Campaigns: Number of campaigns created
• Emails Sent: Total emails delivered
• Open Rate: % of recipients who opened (0% until tracking pixels load)
• Click Rate: % who clicked links in your emails
• Recipients: Total unique recipients

Campaign Table

Shows all your campaigns with:

• Campaign name and subject line
• Status (Draft, Sent, Sending, Scheduled)
• Recipient count
• Performance metrics
• Actions (Send, Delete)

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Step 1: Create a New Campaign

1. Click the "Create Campaign" button (purple button, top of page)
2. You'll be taken to the campaign composer

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Step 2: Campaign Details

Name Your Campaign

Internal name (guests don't see this)

• Examples: "Summer 2025 Special", "Welcome Email v2", "March Newsletter"
• Choose names that make sense to you for future reference

Write Your Subject Line

This is what guests see in their inbox

Best Practices:

• Keep under 50 characters
• Create curiosity
• Be specific
• Include personalization
• Test different approaches

Good Examples: ✅ "20% Off Your Next Stay at Beachside Cottage" ✅ "{guest_name}, Your Exclusive Return Guest Offer" ✅ "We Miss You! Special Discount Inside" ✅ "Last Chance: Memorial Day Weekend Availability"

Bad Examples: ❌ "Newsletter" (boring, no incentive to open) ❌ "CLICK HERE NOW!!!" (spammy) ❌ "Email" (too vague) ❌ "asdflkjasdflkj" (nonsense)

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Step 3: Compose Your Email

Email Body Editor

The email body supports:

• Plain text and rich text
• Bold, italic, underline formatting
• Bullet points and numbered lists
• Links to external websites
• Template variables (see below)
• Line breaks and spacing

Template Variables

GuestLoop automatically personalizes emails using these variables:

Variable	Replaced With	Example
{guest_name}	Guest's first name	"John"
{property_name}	Property they stayed at	"Beachside Cottage"
{booking_link}	Link to book again	https://...
{host_name}	Your name	"Sarah"

Example Email Using Variables:

Hi {guest_name}!

I hope you enjoyed your recent stay at {property_name}. 

As a thank you, here's an exclusive 20% discount code 
for your next booking: RETURN20

Book your next stay: {booking_link}

Looking forward to hosting you again!
{host_name}

What Guest Sees:

Hi John!

I hope you enjoyed your recent stay at Beachside Cottage.

As a thank you, here's an exclusive 20% discount code 
for your next booking: RETURN20

Book your next stay: https://yoursite.com/book

Looking forward to hosting you again!
Sarah

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Step 4: Select Your Audience

GuestLoop offers 9 powerful audience filters:

1. All Guests

Sends to everyone in your database (use carefully!)

2. Future Guests

Only guests with upcoming bookings

• Great for pre-arrival tips
• Check-in reminders
• What to pack suggestions

3. Past Guests

Only guests with no upcoming stays

• Best for: Return visit promotions
• Win-back campaigns
• Special discounts

4. Repeat Guests

Guests with 2 or more total stays

• Loyalty rewards
• VIP offers
• Thank you messages

5. First-Time Guests

Guests with only 1 stay ever

• Welcome to the family
• Encourage return visit
• Referral program intro

6. Property-Specific

Filter by one or more properties

• Property-specific promotions
• Renovation announcements
• Area-specific events

7. Never Emailed

Guests who haven't received any campaigns yet

• Great first campaign audience
• Ensure you're reaching everyone

8. Not Emailed Recently

Exclude guests emailed in last X days

• Prevent email fatigue
• Respect guest inbox
• Default: 7-30 days

9. Opted-In Only (Recommended!)

ALWAYS USE THIS FOR MARKETING

• Only guests who checked "Yes, send me marketing emails"
• Compliant with CAN-SPAM and GDPR
• Better engagement rates
• Fewer unsubscribes

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Step 5: Preview Your Audience

Before sending, always preview:

1. Click "Preview Audience" button
2. See exactly how many recipients
3. Review audience criteria
4. Check for any surprises

Example:

Your campaign will be sent to 127 guests:
- Past guests: 127
- Opted into marketing: 127
- Not emailed in last 30 days: 127
- From property: All properties

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Step 6: Send or Save as Draft

Save as Draft

• Keep working on it later
• Shows in campaigns table with "Draft" status
• Not sent to anyone yet
• Can edit anytime

Send Now

1. Review everything one final time:
   • Subject line (no typos!)
   • Email body (test variables!)
   • Audience filter (right people?)
   • Links work correctly
2. Click "Send Campaign"
3. Confirm you're ready
4. Campaign sends immediately

Pro Tip: Create a test campaign and send to yourself first!

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Step 7: Track Performance

After sending, monitor these metrics:

Opens

• How many recipients opened your email
• Tracked via invisible 1x1 pixel image
• Note: Some email clients (Apple Mail) pre-load images, inflating open rates

Clicks

• How many clicked links in your email
• Most important metric for action-driven campaigns
• Track with UTM parameters for detailed analytics

Typical Performance Benchmarks

• Open Rate: 15-25% is good for hospitality
• Click Rate: 2-5% is typical
• Unsubscribe Rate: Under 0.5% is healthy

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Email Campaign Best Practices

1. Segment Your Audience

Don't send the same email to everyone:

• Past guests get "return visit" offers
• Future guests get "pre-arrival" tips
• Repeat guests get "VIP" treatment

2. Personalize Everything

Use template variables:

• {guest_name} in greeting
• {property_name} to reference their stay
• Makes emails feel personal, not bulk

3. Have One Clear Goal

Each campaign should have one primary action:

• ✅ "Book your next stay"
• ✅ "Refer a friend"
• ✅ "Leave a review"
• ❌ "Book, refer, review, follow us, and buy our merch" (too much!)

4. Mobile-First Design

Most guests read email on phones:

• Short paragraphs
• Clear call-to-action buttons
• Easy-to-click links
• Fast-loading images

5. Timing Matters

Best times to send:

• Tuesday-Thursday: Highest open rates
• 10 AM - 2 PM: Peak inbox checking time
• Avoid Monday mornings: Inbox overload
• Avoid late Friday: Weekend plans

6. Test, Test, Test

Before sending to 1,000 people:

• Send test to yourself
• Check on mobile and desktop
• Click all links
• Verify variables replaced correctly

7. Respect Unsubscribes

• Honor unsubscribe requests immediately
• Never re-add people who opted out
• Makes future emails perform better

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Email Campaign Ideas

Welcome Series

Email 1 (Day 1): Thank you for staying! Email 2 (Day 7): How was your visit? Email 3 (Day 14): Share with friends (referral code) Email 4 (Day 30): Come back soon (discount offer)

Seasonal Campaigns

• Spring: "Spring Break Availability"
• Summer: "Beat the Heat: Summer Specials"
• Fall: "Leaf Peeping Season is Here"
• Winter: "Cozy Winter Getaway Deals"

Event-Based

• Local festivals and events
• Holiday weekends
• Sporting events
• Conferences in your area

Maintenance Updates

• "Exciting Renovations Coming"
• "New Hot Tub Installed!"
• "Property Upgrades Complete"

Flash Sales

• "24-Hour Flash Sale: 30% Off"
• "Last-Minute Weekend Available"
• "Gap Night Special"

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Compliance & Legal

CAN-SPAM Act (US)

✅ Always include unsubscribe link (automatic in GuestLoop) ✅ Use real "From" address ✅ Accurate subject line ✅ Include physical address in footer ✅ Honor opt-outs within 10 days

GDPR (Europe)

✅ Only email people who opted in ✅ Clear unsubscribe process ✅ Respect data deletion requests ✅ Don't share email lists ✅ Secure data storage

GuestLoop Handles This Automatically:

• Unsubscribe links in every email
• Opt-in tracking
• Easy data export
• Secure encryption

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Common Questions

Q: How many emails can I send?

A: Starter plan: 1,000 emails/month. That's enough to email 100 guests 10 times, or 1,000 guests once.

Q: What if I exceed my limit?

A: Campaign won't send. You'll see a warning. Either wait until next month or upgrade to Pro (unlimited).

Q: Can I schedule campaigns for later?

A: Not yet! Coming soon. For now, save as draft and send manually when ready.

Q: Why is my open rate 0%?

A: Takes 24-48 hours for opens to register. Also, some email clients block tracking pixels.

Q: Can I A/B test subject lines?

A: Not built-in yet. You can manually create two campaigns with different subjects and compare.

Q: How do I know if someone booked from my campaign?

A: Use unique promo codes or UTM parameters in your booking links.

Q: What's a good open rate?

A: 15-25% is solid for hospitality. Above 30% is excellent!

Q: Can guests reply to campaign emails?

A: Yes! Replies go to your "From" email address (usually your account email).

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Troubleshooting

Campaign Won't Send

Check:

1. Have you verified your sending email?
2. Do you have recipients (preview audience > 0)?
3. Are you at your monthly limit?
4. Is subject line filled in?
5. Is email body empty?

Variables Not Replacing

Check:

1. Exact spelling: {guest_name} not {guestname}
2. Curly braces: { and }
3. Test by sending to yourself first
4. Check guest has that data field populated

Low Open Rates

Improve By:

• Better subject lines (A/B test)
• Send at optimal times
• Clean your list (remove bounces)
• Segment audience more precisely
• Personalize content

High Unsubscribe Rate

Causes:

• Sending too frequently
• Content not relevant
• Subject line misleading
• Audience not targeted

Solutions:

• Send less often
• Better segmentation
• Clearer expectations
• More valuable content

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What's Next?

After creating your first campaign:

1. ✅ Understanding Template Variables
2. ✅ Advanced Audience Targeting
3. ✅ Tracking Email Performance
4. ✅ Campaign Best Practices Library

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Need Help?

• Example Campaigns: See templates at /examples/campaigns
• Support: support@guestloop.com
• Community: Share your campaign ideas in the forum
• Video Tutorial: Watch: Creating Effective Campaigns

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Great email marketing = Higher occupancy + More direct bookings + Stronger guest relationships! 📧✨